Music-sheet feed mechanism.



No. 741,072. PATENTED 0011s, 1903.

A.P.ROTH. MUSIC SHEET FEED MECHANISM.

' APPLICATION IILED'MAR. 13, 1903.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

fVi/n my;

No. 741,072. PATENTED OCT. 13, 1903.

A. P. ROTH. MUSIC SHEET FEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1903'.

NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FIG. 2. FIG. 3.

A w ZWZ UNITED STATES Patented October 13, 1903.

PATENT Q EICE.

ALFRED P. ROTH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM OF BOTH dz ENGELHARDT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MUSIC-SHEET FEED MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,072, dated October 13, 1903.

Application filed March 13, 1903. Serial No. 147,579. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED P. Born, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, (Manhattan,) county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Sheet Feed Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a music-sheet feed IO mechanism for autopneumatic piano-players which is so constructed that the music-sheet will be automatically returned to its normal position at right angles to the duct-bridge whenever it swerves to the right or left. In

I 5 this way a true engagement between the openings of the duct-bridge and the corresponding perforations of the music-sheet will always be effected, and any defect in the rendering of the music owing to an untrue feed of the music-sheet will be entirely obviated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is afront view of my improved music-sheet feed mechanism; Fig. 2, a right-hand end View of Fig. 1, partly in section; Fig. 3, a left-hand end view of Fig.1; Fig. 4., a detail of the ductbridge and part of the music-sheet; Fig. 5, a diagram illustrating the run of the musicsheet; Fig. 6, a bottom view of the resilient feed-roller and the adjoining parts, and Fig. 7

a plan thereof; Fig. 8, a cross-section on line 8 8, Fig. 6; and Fig 9 a detail of the vacuumchest and bellows.

The letter a represents the perforated ductbridge of an autopneumatic piano-player,

5 from which the air is exhausted in the usual manner. This duct-bridge is provided with the usual perforations 0r ducts a, adapted to register with corresponding perforations in the music-sheet 7) whenever a note is to be sounded. In addition to the ducts d the bridge a is provided near each end with a perforation or duct a which remains constantly covered by the music-sheet as long as the feed of the latter remains true. Each of the ducts a communicates by a pipe 0 with bellows 0 arranged in a chamber 0 of a vacuumchest, the other chamber 0 of which contains a valve 0 that has a pin 0 adapted to bear upon bellows 0 The chamber 0 communicates with bellows c bya pipe 0 Thus when air is admitted to duct 0, it will expand bellows 0 open valve 0 and close a vent c of chamber 0 From the vacuum-chamber 0 air is constantly withdrawn by a pump, and thus the opening of the valve 0 will cause a suction in pipe 0 which willcollapse bellows c. When the air is cut off from duct a bythe music-sheet, the bellows 0 will collapse, the valve 0 will close, and the vent 0 will open to admit air to bellows c and expandthe same. This construction of vacuum-chest is well known and does not form part of the present invention.

The bellows c carries a screw-rod cl, which is connected by an adjustable coupling d with a hook (P, that influences the music-sheet feed-roller in manner hereinafter described. The coupling d permits the combined lengths of the parts (1 d to be readily adjusted.

The music-sheet b, Fig. 5, passes over idler 6, under duct-bridge a, over idler e, and thence between the feed-rollers fg, which are rotated in opposite directions to draw the sheet across the duct-bridge. The rollerf is flexible, it being shown in Figs. 5 and 8 to be coveredbyarubberorotherresilientjacketf.

The shafts of rollers e e and g are hung in fixed bearings of frames h, while the shaft f of rollerf' is hung in the swinging arms of bearings 'i, turning on a fixed rod 1" and connected with each other bya yielding plate i Figs. 7 and 8. Each armz' is engaged by a toej, depending from a leverj, fulcrumed at j The lever j is engaged at one end by the hook 02 hereinbefore described,while its other end is connected to a spring 70, which 8 tends to force the toej against arm t and to thus press the feed-roller f toward the feedroller g. V v

The rollersfand g are positively driven in opposite directions in suitable manner. The drawing Fig. 3 illustrates a cord l running over pulley Z to rotate shaft g of roller 9 by pinions '1 while the pinion g engages a pinionf fast on shaftf of roller f.

The operation is as follows: Normally, both ducts'ct being closed by the music-sheet, the rollerfis pressed uniformly at both ends toward roller g by toes j. Whenever the sheet swerves to one side-say to the leftit will open the right duct C02 to collapse right 10: bellows c, and thus draw up the right hook 61 This hook will tilt the right lever 7', and

thereby cause the right toej to exert an additional pressure upon the right arm 2'. Consequently the right end of the flexible roller f will be forced toward roller g and against the intervening music-sheet with a pressure greater than that to which it is subjected at its left end. This excess of pressure will slightly flatten the right end of the roller, and thereby cause the music-sheet to creep toward its right end, and consequently toward the right end of the duct-bridge at, until the normal rectilinear position of the musicsheet with relation to the duct-bridge has been reestablished. As soon as this readjustment has taken place the right duct a will be closed to expand right bellows 0, lower the right hook CF, and return the right lever j and toe j to their original position. In this way the excess of pressure is removed from the right end of roller f, and both ends of said roller are again pressed with equal force toward roller g by the springinfluenced toes 'j' until the sheet should again -run untrue, when the above-described operation will be repeated.

What I claim is 1. In a music-sheet feed mechanism, the combination of a duct-bridge having normally closed duets, with bellows operatively connected therewith, levers operatively connected to the bellows, a feed-roller, a swinging supporting-bearing and means on the levers for exerting a pressure against said bearing, substantially as specified.

2. In a music-sheet feed mechanism, the combination of aduct-bridge having normally closed duets, with bellows operatively connected therewith, levers operatively connected to the bellows, an oscillating bearing, a feed-roller hung in said bearing, and toes on the levers that engage the bearing at either end of the feed-roller, substantially as specifled.

3. In a music-sheet feed mechanism, the combination of aduct-bridge having normally closed duets, with bellows operatively connected therewith, spring-influenced levers operatively connected with the bellows, an oscillating bearing, a resilient feed-roller hung in said bearing, and toes on the levers that engage the bearing at either end of the feedroller, substantially as specified.

Signed by me at New York city, (Manhattan,) New York, this 7th day of March, 1903.

ALFRED P. ROTH.

Witnesses:

VVILLIAM SOHULZ, F. v. BRIESEN. 

